Connecting National Nutrition Month and eye health

March is National Nutrition Month, making it the perfect time for you to tell your patients about the role nutrition plays in eye health. It's a hot topic thanks to the overall rising interest in healthy eating as well as the release of the National Eye Institute-sponsored Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) last year.

To help you, the AOA has published a free supplement called "Eye Health and Nutrition After AREDS2," which was produced with an education grant from Kemin. The material came from a panel of experts convened at the 2013 Optometry's Meeting®. They zeroed in on key messages from AREDS2 and balanced those messages with current, relevant research to come up with recommendations for optometrists.

It includes information about foods rich in lutein plus zeaxanthin, omega 3, vitamin C, viatamin E and zinc, all important for eye health. It also covers the Recommended Dietary Allowances for patients at high risk of eye diseases.

AOA also has a 12-page booklet, "Dry Eye and Nutrition: Healthy Eating, Healthy Eye," which has a more in-depth look at each of the six essential nutrients, and "Ocular Supplement Resources Fact Sheets" available for purchase in the AOA Marketplace.